Spring-hinge



- UNIT-n STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DANIEL W. HOUSLEY, OF GROVE CITY, ILLINOIS.

SPRING-HINGE.

SPECIFICATION' forming part of Letters Patent No. 227,786, dated Mayi8, 1880.

Application filed November 17, 1879.

'To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DANIEL W. HoUsLEY, of Grove City, in the county of Christian'and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in SpringHinges, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in spring-hinges for doors; and the objects of my improvement are tol provide' a three-leaved double-actin g hin ge wi th a coiled sprin g a'dapted to have an oblique deflection -in opening the door in either direction, and which hinge can be used as an ordinary hinge, upon which the door may be opened to the right or to the left without bringing into action the function of the spring, andyet maintain its hinge-connections, and to allow of the door being taken down without disturbing the spring-connections, as will be more fully hereinafter described. 1

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure l represents a face view of a spring- 7hinge embracing my invention as it appears with the leaves closed and detached from the door; Fig. 2, a face view of the spring-hinge Y as it appears when the door is open to the left leaf B,

and the spring moved to one side at its upperend 5 Fig. 3, the several leaves of the hinge separated from each other ;A Fig. 4, a face view of a spring-hin ge having a slight modification of my improvement; Fig. 5, av horizontal section taken at the line x. w of Fig. 2, the leaves of the hinge being in the position they occupy when the door is closed; Fig. 6, a similar section taken at the line a b of Fig. 2, showing the door partly open to the left; Fig. 7, a similar section, taken at the same line, showing the door partly open at the right,'and Fig. S a similar section at the line e c of Fig. 2, showing the door closed.

The same letters of reference indicate-the. same parts in the several figures.

rIlhe center leaves, A and B, are hinged to the outside leaves, C O', and form a part or section of each hinge; and to these center leaves the spiral spring Gris attached bymeaus of a projection, H, on the upper end ofthe and an adjustable cylindrical plug, D, in the lower end of the leaf A, the open ends of the coil-spring fitting over these parts and connected therewith by having the bentends vof the coils fitted into grooves 'M over projections N, as shown in Fig. 3. The connection of the cylindrical plug D with the hinge-leaf yA is made adjustable by fitting the pluginto an eye, E, and securing it frm'being drawn out vof eye under the pulling action of the spring by a pin, F` passing through the plug at one side of the eye.

The object of this adjustable connection is to provide means by which the ten'sion'of the spring can be increased at any time without disturbing any part of the fastenings of the hinge; and for this purpose the plug has a series of holes, s, made horizontally through it at one side of the eye, and into one of which the' pin F is inserted, so that it will bear against the leaf, and thus lock the plug in the eye and hold the spring from slipping when the door is opened and when the spring is both drawn longer and twisted laterally, so that the pin F serves to lock the plug from being drawn out, to lock the spring to its set, and to allow of the adjustment of its ltension by changing the pin into the different holes. This tightening of the spring is e'ected by turning the plug to wind up the coil by inserting a strong piece of wire or suitable instrument used as a lever into the holes s, then removing the pin F and placing it in the next hole.

' The leaves C C form the outsides of the hinge, and are secured to the door P and to the jamb B by screws, with the leaves A and B between them. The three leaves thus placed are joined by loose .pintles, as in the common loose-pintle butt-hinge; but this joining is made by doubleJ pintles-that is to say, vthe pintleat one side joins the jamb R and middle leaf A, and the pintle at the other side joins'the door l? and middle leaf B, thus allowing the'door to be opened both ways upon vthree-leaved hinges, with a spring adapted to be moved out from the jamb at either end or at one end only, because of its connection with the middle leaves of each hinge-section--that is to say, whenthe door is opened to the left a twisted position by carrying its upper end out from the jamb, thereby obtaining the ad- IOO vantage of a pulling force of the spring upon the door, exerted in opposition to its being opened by the lengthening of the spring, by the winding or coiling up of the spring, and by its being pulled away from the jamb at one end out of vertical line by the door.

In opening the door to the right the middle leaf B of the"`lower section is carried with it by the door in the same manner and producing the same result as above stated, and in which case the lower end of the spring will he lnoved away from the jamb and out of vertical line by the door.

Y/Vhen it is desired that the door should stand in open position to the right and free from the action ofthe spring, remove the pintle L at the left-hand side of the lower jambleaf, and when the door is wanted to stand open to the left, then the pintle K at the righthand side of the upper jamb-leaf is removed. To unhinge the door remove both of these pintles ofthe top and bottom hinges.

The outer leaves, C C, may be connected, as shown in Figs. l and 3, or disconnected, as shown in Fig. 2.

One part or section of the hinge only can be made with a middle leaf, as shown in Fig. 4, in which case the other end of the spring is attached to a plate or to the leaf C, which is secured to the door-jamb.

It will be understood that the hinge of two three-leaved sections shown in the drawings constitutes a single hinge-that is, a hinge used at the top and at the bottom of the door, and each section connected with a spring in the way described, and so that one endthe upper or the lower-of each spring will be moved to one side out of a vertical plane according to the way the door is opened, both springs being in action at the same time. In Fig. 4, however, but one section of the hinge is shown as so used, the lower end of the upper spring being secured to a plate, C2, on the door-jamb, and the upper end of the lower spring being secured in the same manner, so that whether the door isopene'd to the right or to the left one end of one spring only will be moved to one side out of a vertical line by being so carried by the door, so that whether the hinge consists of two sections, each of three leaves, or of one section of three leaves, the double action is the same 5 but the latter arrangement is preferable for light doors. It is also obvious that the spring, acting in the manner described, can be used with a singleactin g hinge of two leaves only, and ,in which the spring would have every function and action, as in a three-leaved hinge.

In the spring-connection shown in Fig. 4 the hin ge-connected end may be upon the door or upon thejamb, and the plate C2 secured accordingly. This plate takes the place of the hinge-leaf C', and the length of the spring need only be suflicient to allow it to have a free side movement at one end with the door.

doors as well 5 but it is more particularly designed for use with screen-doors.

The door is hung to the jamb by the outer leaves, C C', and the pintles K and L need only be loose to allow the door to be opened either to the right or to the left without bringing` into action the function of the spring. This is effected as follows, viz: In such case each end of each spring-that is, the upper andthe lower spring--must be connected to two separate three-leaved hinges, as shown in Fig. 2, and to open the door to the right the upper ri ght-hand pintles, K, ofthe upper hinge of each spring must be re1noved,.and this disconnects the middle leaf of each top hinge from the outside jamb-leaf, C, so that both the middle leaves and their connected spring of the upper and the lower double hinges will be carried by and standv against the edge of the door, which will then swing upon the upper and the lower left-hand pintles, L, as an ordinary hinge. To open the door to the left the pintles L are removed, and the springis freed from its jambconnection and is carried by the door without acting. In either case, however, thc connections of the springs with the middle leaves are undisturbed.

In taking down the door the pintles K and L are removed, but the spring-connections with the middle leaves, which are carried by the outside leaves, C C', are still intact.

I claim- 1. The combination, with a` coiled spring, G, of a hinge composed of three leaves, connected to unfold and to fold upon each other, said spring being connected with the middle leaf or leaves and swinging out therewith laterally into a lengthwise oblique position from the jamb-connected end, and adapted for use with a door opening in either direction, substantially as herein set forth.

2. The combination of a double acting spring-hinge composed of three leaves connected to unfold and to fold upon each other, substantially as herein set forth, a coiled spring, G, connected at both ends and swinging out laterally at one or either end with the alternate unfolding ofthe middle leaf or leaves, and an adjustable plug, D, locking by the pin necting one end of said spring with said eyed leaf, substantially as and for the purpose herein set forth.

3. A double-acting door-spring hinge composed of two separate hinges of three leaves F with an eye on the middle leaf, and con-` IOO IOS

IIO

unfolding of said leaves, and the loose pintles K and L, connecting said middle leaves with the outside leaves of each of the two hinges at the top and at the bottom of the door, whereby the door may be opened to the right or to This hinge is adapted for light and for heavy the left without bringing into action the func the adjustable plug D, locking by the pin F with an eye on one of said middle leaves and connecting one end of said spring with said eyed middle leaf, all constructed and adapted for use with a door opening in either direction, 1 5 substantially as herein set forth.

-D. W. HOUSLEY.

Witnesses: Y

I. S. GOLDMAN,

O. J. BROWNBAGK. 

